Hawks present a variety of problems for the Bucks

Bucks coach Scott Skiles says Milwaukee has to do a better job defending Atlanta's Joe Johnson than it did in the regular season.

By Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel

Published on: 4/16/2010

It's not true that Josh Smith, Al Horford and Joe Johnson form an unstoppable trio.

And sixth man Jamal Crawford does miss a shot every now and then.

But the sixth-seeded Milwaukee Bucks know they are facing a huge challenge in the third-seeded Atlanta Hawks when the teams open a first-round playoff series Saturday at Philips Arena in Atlanta.

The Hawks won 53 games this season under coach Mike Woodson, giving them confidence they can make a deep run in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They won a first-round series against Miami a year ago before being swept in four games in the conference semifinals by Cleveland.

The Bucks played three close games against Atlanta during the regular season, splitting two games at home and losing, 106-102, in overtime on the road Feb. 28. That was Milwaukee's only loss in a stretch of 13 games, breaking up a pair of six-game winning streaks.

"We've looked at every possession, multiple times," said Bucks coach Scott Skiles, who had his team study game film before practice Thursday. "We've got to do a better job on Joe Johnson. He's had his way with us a little bit.

"Their length and athleticism is a concern. Their switching defense has off and on bothered us. Having said that, we've been right in every game."

Johnson scored 24 points and sank clutch baskets in the overtime period in the Hawks' home-court victory over the Bucks, and Smith (22 points, 15 rebounds) and Horford (17 points, 10 rebounds) each had double-doubles.

"The great players in the league, one of the reasons they're great is they play at their pace," Skiles said while referring to the 6-foot-7 Johnson, an Eastern Conference all-star this season. "It's very difficult to speed up Kobe Bryant or LeBron James or Kevin Durant or Joe Johnson. They have a level of poise.

"We've got to try to get some of their guys out of their comfort zones. Mike Bibby has played in big playoff games and made big shots. They've got guys with experience. It's going to be tough for us, but we should feel heartened by the fact we've played them tough."

The Hawks have connected at a 49% clip on field goal attempts in three games against the Bucks, and Skiles said that number must come down for his team to be successful.

Atlanta also has done a good job of disrupting the Bucks offense, particularly in the last meeting Monday night at the Bradley Center. The Hawks switched screens on the perimeter and their agile big men were able to bother the Bucks ball handlers, including point guards Brandon Jennings and Luke Ridnour.

"We've got to be a little bit more aggressive," Skiles said. "We've taken several ill-advised long shots against their switching. We need to put the ball on the floor and drive and make some help come.

"There's nothing wrong with shooting threes if it's at the right time. If you're just dribbling around and shooting it, a lot of times that's not a good shot. It's part of our progression as a team, learning to play against that style of defense."

Just as the Bucks' Andrew Bogut could disrupt an opponent with his shot-blocking prowess and ability to patrol the paint, the 6-9 Smith can demoralize opposing teams with his leaping ability. He blocked six shots in Atlanta's 104-96 victory over the Bucks on Monday.

"We've just got to move the ball and try to attack their bigs as much as we can," Jennings said. "I don't plan on them changing their defense.

"He (Smith) is going to block some shots; that's part of the game. The main thing is you've just got to keep taking it to him and hopefully we'll get the calls."

Jennings knows he will be busy trying to defend the 31-year-old Bibby, now in his 12th pro season, and taking a turn on the high-scoring Crawford.

"Bibby has been in all these types of situations," Jennings said. "With the Sacramento Kings he played in big (playoff) games, so this is nothing new to him. I'm going to try to use my quickness and distract him as much as I can.

Crawford, who did not play against the Bucks in the last regular-season meeting, averaged 18 points and three assists over 79 games while shooting 44.9% overall and 38.2% from three-point range. He is finally making his first postseason appearance after 10 seasons in the league with four teams.

The Hawks reached the 50-victory mark for the first time since the 1997-'98 season, and their 53 victories represented a six-game increase over a year ago.

Atlanta also has an impressive record of 49-6 when leading with 3 minutes or less remaining, showing an ability to close games.

"There's no denying Joe's size, Josh Smith's size and athleticism," Skiles said. "There are some areas on paper where it looks like they have an advantage.

"But we've been playing good basketball the second half of the season. We need to make sure we do those things and then see where we are."